whats the plan
 

Hi all im a weekly cleaner il even wash when its rainin! i normally wash dry clay then polish would wax but it takes a days work to prep for wax! Just wondered i was told to wadh again after using clay is this right?? also whos good with a mop?? need to get my motor glossy! has the usall scratches and they wont come out also an evil scatch on the roof looks like some ones scraped poo off with there finger nails! tried meg's compound tcut ect no joy! would mop it myself but dont fancie muckin it up! knowin my luck il burn the paint

Wash once a week is fine, but if you are claying once a week that is too much. You are running the risk of inflicting more damage to the paint. I used to clay once every six months maximum, that way it was enough to keep the paint good. Remember the clay will strip any protection off, so you are starting again. Also, if you are polishing, then a wax/sealant is a must.

My advice, not that i am an expert!!, would be to wash it, clay it, wash it again, polish, wax, and then in subsequent washes, just either top up the wax or get something like meguirs detailer which you can do in half an hour tops and it will bring the shine back and help protect. If you get a liquid wax/sealant such as blackfire etc its easier to apply than the polish. The polishing part is usually the hard bit.

Over a few months you will notice it getting a nice glossy finish with a few coats of wax. The scratches will need a machine polish providing that are not to deep.

Have a look on here, there are some good guides on cleaning.

www.polishedbliss.co.uk

PM The Pie Man on here, it saves all the arm ache and once done it will look The ********!:polish:

The Pieman is just getting back on his feet after going down with pneumonia and is under doctor's orders to take things easy until he's recovered properly.

So he may be a little while.

Cheers for the replies chaps! i use the meg q detailer with the clay bar for what it is it defo does something!! i did buy a tin of simonize hard wax n been meanin to put some on but it takes me a good 6-7 hours to finnish on the polish! neighbours think im mental!! Altho not the best name on the market ive been using turtle wax ice paste and probly goin to stick with that ive found it does a better job that most i use! and lasts for months!!!!! when i brought the scoob it had been sat for 8 months and i think it neva saw a good wash in its life!! look like it had been used for a madmax film! the paint which i fort was black has a gold flick init i didnt know till i polished it lol wasnt untill then i found the imperfections!! so a machine polish wont go a miss! once done i can keep on top of it!!!! Il keep an eye on the thread for the piema!!! thanks again!

My preference is to clay every 6 months or so then layer on a glaze, sealant and wax. Then top the wax up every couple of washes until the next deep clean/clay.

I'm more than happy with the Poorboys products, I use the Black Hole Glaze followed by EXP Sealant and the Nattys Blue paste wax - perfect on dark paints. They are reasonably priced and easy to use.

Make sure the pre clay wash is quite aggressive, I use either Autosmart Tardis, R222 or Poorboys Bug Squash to remove all tar/existing wax before the usual snow foam (Megs Hyperwash) and two bucket wash (Megs Gold Class or Poorboys soap and suds) then I clay the car, two bucket wash again and dry (fully using the Black Baron!). Then it's time to glaze the car using a light cut lake country pad (one day I'll get a DA), before applying the EXP Sealant and finally a coat or two of wax.

In between times I just snow foam, two bucket wash rinse and dry, then Spritz the car with Poorboys QD+ or every 4th wash or so add another coat of the wax.

Sounds like a mission!! been tryin to find poorboys+dodo juice in the shops but nowhere but ebay seems to sell apart from ebay?? i like to keep it up as i dont have a garage! been using zymol wash which is nice would like to try the higher end gear but is hard to find + with ebay is it ehat they say it is? didnt realise that about the clay i thought it was a good idea after every wash that should save a few quid and will give time to put wax on! ideally need to put on before the snow! normally get onit about 730 sat mornin n finnish about 3ish whats the glaze u talk of?? cheers!

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk :)

The clay bar removes all existing wax etc. and any bonded contamination leaving a perfectly smooth surface ready for waxing, the glaze is a mild polish with filling properties so hides the majority of the micromarring caused by washing, the seal well seals it forming a strong bond to the paintwork.

Quote from polished bliss website
Poorboy's Black Hole Glaze is a dark-coloured glaze that is designed to mask minor paint defects (such as wash marring and fine swirl marks) and dramatically enhance gloss in order to create the illusion that paint is dripping wet ahead of a fresh application of sealant or wax protection. During the application process, mild cleaning agents lift any residual grime, while kaolin clay particles and glazing oils visually reduce the extent of wash marring and minor swirl marks by filling such defects and robbing sunlight of sharp edges off of which to reflect.

Poorboy's EX-P Sealant is one of the best value for money synthetic paint sealants on the market today, and delivers an excellent finish characterised by pin-sharp reflectivity and gloss. Like most pure synthetic paint sealants, it falls down a little bit in terms of richness and beading strength, but more than makes up for this in terms of slickness and flake pop. Easy to apply by hand or dual action machine, we recommend using Poorboy's EX-P Sealant to bring out the brilliance and clarity of mid-tone metallic and pearlescent finishes.

cliffords in brighton sell both poorboys and dodo juice not to bad price ever mate.

Cheers bud!! il look into that fed up with halfords over priced everything!!

Whenever I have a change of car (in more recent times) its :

Snowfoam
Rinse
Dry
Clay
Paint Cleaner / Clenser
Wax
Wax again or seal

Then clay every 6 months or before a major event.
Quick detail regularly and wax probably once every 6-8 weeks

Weekly (or so cleaning) just involves a snowfoam and dry. Maybe a quick detail or wax if I have time on my side.

Do you need a jetwash for foam?? also puttin wax on off is it the same as polish on off or more effort?? cheers!!

Wax and polish are different stages, ideally you should polish then wax.

You can get hose pressure foam lances but they are pants compared to the pressure wash versions.

Sorry mate what i was tryin to get at was does wax take roughly the same sort of time to put on and buff off as polish? or does waxing take longer?? gana slap some wax on this weekend so just want to allow some time before darkness creeps up cheers!

If anything, wax shouldnt take as long as its a coat over an already polished surface. The polishing I find is the lengthy bit. Certainly using Blackfire or meguires, this is the case.

Nice one bud!!

Did this a week or so back. Wash as advised, Black Hole glaze, then two coats of Dodo Juice wax I made in a saucepan! Have had many comments about the wet-look finish. Forgot to use the Muckpacker's Old Stodge but think I got away with it!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...cture137-1.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...cture128-4.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...cture143-1.jpg

The Black Hole glaze really is excellent value on dark cars and easy to use too. Did you seal the finish as well as wax, I find the exp seal really gives a sharper finish than wax alone.

No I didn't. Not sure I can cope with more shine but I will certainly investigate the exp seal. Thanks for the tip!! :wink:

:SMBLU:

Were can I get black hole glaze ? may work well on the Audi.
What with the saucepan bit ??

I get all my Poorboys stuff from polished bliss, I use a lake country light cut pad to apply the glaze to try and really remove the imperfections. It can be DA applied but since I don't have one elbow grease is the answer (plus all the Poorboys stuff smells great!)

Just got some from www.cleanyourcar.co.uk ......along with a few other bit's...;).....

More shine than the bishops bell looks nice and slick!! Ive seen the black hole on ebay i shall get me some and have ago!! after crimbo il get the dent pulled give it a good clean and put some pics up!! Was qouted 75 for a mop = 3 hours labour? i would have fort it would take a good day?

"Clean your car" is who I use. The wax is "Dodo Juice Homebrew premium wax kit" which is on their web site. It seems to be great stuff. I got it for my birthday this year.:razz: It has been called "Keith's Kreme"

:SMBLU: